John Talley Showcase and Shootout

The Demize U18/19 boys were invited to particpate in a unique format for a college showcase this past weeknd at the John Talley Showcase and Shootout. The U18/19's face off against Soccer Scholar Ide Nua from Ireland in their first match at the Mike Rose stadium. Unfortunately, sixty seconds into the match senior goalkeeper Adam Davies, who recently signed to play at Evangle University, broke his knee cap in a collision on a through ball. "It was unfortunate that the Irish forward walked away with a bruised knee and Adam is out for the next 6 weeks", stated Coach Hanlon. "Our backup keeper Mason stepped up and played well over the weekend but it was tough match for him to step into." The Demize would drop the first game 4-0, but bounce back in the second against the Croatian Eagles from Minnesota, with a 3-3 tie. In their last match (with no subs due to injuries happening to players in the previous two games) the Demize dominated the Warriors from Ohio South but had to resort to a late header goal from a corner kick to tie the game 2-2 in the final minutes. "It was frustrating" said coach Ben Brixey, "We hit the post twice, missed a few golden chances, and our team played hard for eighty minutes without any subs. When Josh Carlson pulled the Warrior's forward down in the box I think it was due to fatigue " The Warriors would convert the penalty kick and take the lead 2-1 until Dustin Moesch's late equalizer. The Portsmouth FC Academy team from England would be the eventual champions.

The Demize U17 boys would face off against South Misspssippi Elite and could not find the back of the net. In spite of dominating the game the score line went against the high school boys. Duncan Livingston's own goal would be the difference in the 2-0 loss with Elite capitalizing on a corner kick that was banana-ed late in the second half to win the game. The second match of the day the Demize would again come up short as they were unable to score losing to Mississippi FC 1-0. In the final match the team finally found the goal with a 3-1 victory over SIYSA Hawks from Illinois.

The U14 boys would start the weekend off bright and early at 8:00 AM on the Mike Rose Stadium Field, a full size 120 by 80 field. They fell to the 17th ranked team in Tennesee, Eagle Express SC, 4-0. The Eagle's scored early off a rebound from a great save by Drake Lightfoot, but the rebound hit the post and the Eagles left midfielder was there to finish the deflection. The SDA U14 boys would bounce back in the next match against Lobos Rush Elite with a 3-1 victory with two goals and an assist from Brady Carter with Ian Johnson scoring his first goal of the season. The Rush were ranked 3rd in the state of Tennessee. The final game was a must win for the Demize with 2nd place on the line against the Germantown Legends winner take all in the round robin format. An early goal from the Legends would stand up giving them the 1-0 win with the U14 boys finshing in third place. "I was very proud of how well all the teams played considering all of the factors including the weather conditions, injuries, and the fact that these were our first outdoor games this spring," stated Coach Hanlon.